SAN DIEGO, March 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TriLink BioTechnologies, Inc. (TriLink) was recently awarded a Phase I SBIR Grant of approximately $100,000 by the National Institutes of Health to develop a Hot Start approach for Ligase Chain Reaction (LCR). Hot Start LCR will employ chemically modified ligation components containing thermolabile protecting groups to eliminate common performance problems seen in LCR, such as false-positive signals and non-specificity. TriLink hopes to find similar benefits as those found in development of their Hot Start primers and dNTPs. If successful, this approach could allow LCR to replace applications where traditional PCR, Gap-LCR and PCR/ligation combination approaches are too expensive, not applicable or problematic. This is the fifth Phase I grant TriLink has been awarded, and it will be funded through July 2011.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to test our proven Hot Start approach on an application with the potential to capture a significant portion of the PCR market," remarked Dr. Alexandre Lebedev, Senior Principal Scientist.

"Moving into LCR is a natural progression for TriLink. While developing our successful CleanAmp PCR products and our ongoing ligation work, we gained a unique perspective on the limitations of LCR, and the technical knowledge to solve them," stated TriLink's President and CEO, Richard Hogrefe.

About TriLink

TriLink manufactures custom oligonucleotides, modified nucleoside triphosphates and CleanAmp PCR products for the research, diagnostic and OEM markets. In addition, custom chemistry, contract research services and ISO/QSR compliant cGMP production facilities are offered. TriLink's solutions help advance drug discovery and biomedical research. Founded in 1996, TriLink is a privately held firm based in San Diego, California and employs approximately 85 scientists and other professionals. For more information about the firm and products, call 858-546-0004, email info@trilinkbiotech.com, or visit our web site at www.trilinkbiotech.com.